Installment number eight Bangkok Days and Nights

I prepared myself some lunch while Khun Noy was preparing the evening meal. I searched the fridge for a container of ‘shredded’ chicken that had been left over from a meal during the week. My search was chicken-less so I caught the attention of Khun Noy and strutted around the kitchen making clucking noises like a rooster while waving my arms around and pointing to the shelves of the fridge with a questioning look. Khun Noy had difficulty breathing as she was laughing so much, but pointed to the meat keeper part of the fridge. I opened it but could not spot the container, the result of a typical ‘man’ hunt I supposed. Khun Noy reached into the fridge and extracted a packet of sliced roast chicken meat pointing to the label so that I would know what was inside. I shook my head and tried to indicate that I was searching for a bigger box. Khun Noy laughed louder and rubbed her tummy with a circular motion. Yes I knew where the shredded chicken had gone. “Mai pen rai” (no worries) I said and ate a roll made with cheese slices accompanied by a ‘blueberry’ flavoured yoghurt.
After reading some more of the ‘Bangkok Post’ I was thinking about my DVD hire and concluded DVD hire would be a better worldwide index of a nation’s cost of living, than the current McDonalds Big Mac index. So it all started here, to compare any countries cost of living to anywhere else we should use the cost of renting a DVD for three days: Thailand is 30 baht or about ninety Australian cents.




This picture shows some of the meal that Khun Noy prepared, but I wanted to show also the bottles of water that are delivered. The one on top of the cooler is the one from which we usually draw our drinking water, the other on the bench top has a battery powered pump on the top and is the one from which Khun Noy draws the water for cooking and also the one from which we fill the kettle for cups of tea coffee etc.
The meal was much enjoyed by all of us, the pale yellow ‘stuff’ on the right was shredded cabbage in some sort of dressing. The dark green I am assured was a type of spinach, but to me it falls into the category of Unidentified Foreign Organic Stuff. The two plates of white crinkly things were like ‘wontons’ stuffed with some meat and herbs. We also had large bowls of ‘miso’ soup and Japanese tea. Rosalind heated everything up and served dinner while wearing her ‘Yakata’, a Japanese housecoat that is a bit like a kimono but less formal. Adam and Rosalind got one each from the retreat they stayed at in Kyoto, recently, for the anniversary of their wedding.
After dinner we started to watch the VCD called ‘Keeping Mum’ starring Rowan Atkinson and Maggie Smith. Very good movie, I can now understand why the Thai lady got it mixed up with ‘Nanny Macphee’. The theme is similar but ‘Keeping Mum’ is very much the adult version, but it is still a funny comedy.
At 2200 we stopped the VCD and turned on the World-cup Football, England vs. Portugal. Quite quickly we all started barracking for the ‘minnows’, Portugal and felt it was just when Wayne Roooo-knee (Thai pronunciation) was sent off. Beckham appeared to have a hairstyle malfunction that reduced him to tears and sitting on the sideline.
It was a lacklustre game with England dragging ten men back into the box most of the time to keep Portugal out. As the end of extra time loomed Sheila posed the question as to who we thought would win. Sheila said that although she wanted Portugal to win, (The Scots would rather anyone but the English would win) she feared that Portugal would lose the penalty shootout. Rosalind by this time had gone to bed, too tired to stay up anymore. Adam and I both said that we thought Portugal would win the shootout, partly because England had consistently demonstrated throughout the game that they were more emotional than Portugal who seemed remarkably cool, and in the high tension of the penalty shootout England would fail. Our prophecy came true the British stiff upper lip quivered and they lost three one. I don’t think I have ever seen a penalty shootout where so many goals were missed. We did agree that in a shootout there is not so much pressure on the goalkeeper as all things being equal he is not expected to save any. But the pressure is on the kicker as they are always expected to convert a penalty kick.
Well the result is in, the Portuguese having knocked England out of the last two World Cups. We were too hyped up to go straight to bed so the three of us watched the end of the movie after which Sheila and I went to bed and soon to sleep.
We got up quite early and I checked on the computer to see the result of the Brazil vs. France match and was pleased to see that France had won as Adam and I are now hoping for a France vs. Italy final. It seems an amazing coincidence that France has beaten Brazil in the last two World Cups and Portugal has done the same to England.
Adam went to an appointment with his personal trainer at the gym, while I sat with Rosalind while she watched the end of ‘Keeping Mum’. While Sheila did some Pilates stretching, Sheila and Rosalind went to Pilates session at the fitness centre, I said that I might go for a swim but I would go for my walk get a paper, take the VCD back and if I had not returned by the time they wanted to leave, just to go and I would see them when they got back.
On the way I caught up with the dogs, at first they turned their noses up again until one of the guards showed me that that dogs were eating the dog food, but only when it was crumbled up for them. The guard and I broke up the biscuits and the food quickly disappeared into the dogs, problem solved, spoilt brats!.
I returned the VCD and the young lady assistant convinced me that I should rent four videos for ninety baht. I am not sure how it happened because I don’t think she spoke a word of English.
The VCDs were: ‘The Constant Gardener’, ‘Ladykillers’ Tom Hanks version, ‘An Unfinished Life’, ‘Beowulf & Grendel’, and ‘Brokeback Mountain’ especially for Rosalind and Sheila. Hmm recount that makes five movies for ninety baht (A$3) how I got from returning one to renting five will remain for me as one of the mysteries of the orient. I will record my verdicts on the films over the next few days, I hope, while we are waiting for the semi-finals of the cup.
After the coup at the video store, their not mine, I realised that there was no point in hurrying back as they would already have left for the gym. I decided to go for a wander further abroad and see if I could find the house of a M.R. Kukrit, that is open to the public on Saturday and Sunday from 1000-17000. Sheila has urged me to try and find it as it was described in a guidebook as being down a soi off Suanplu, my usual haunt.
Well I say M.R. Kukrit only with the wisdom of hindsight as the only thing I could remember was that there was a house near Suanplu that was open to the public at weekends.
I investigated a couple of ‘dead end’ soi with no sighting of anything that looked like it might be open to the public. As I was in no hurry I just kept wandering further towards one of the major roads called South Sathorn Road. Just before the intersection of Suanplu and opposite an Attuya Bank, I noticed a sign of a power-pole with an arrow pointing down a soi called Soi Phra Pinit on the sign was written ‘M.R. Kukrit House’. This looked hopeful and proved to be the case. The soi was quite narrow and turned a few corners, but eventually I found the gateway to M.R. Kukrit’s house.
On the way I passed a number of very elegant houses, and it is a very pleasant tree-lined soi.
I thought that it was Mr Kukrit, but it was Mom Rajawongse Kukrit Pramoj, he was a Thai aristocrat and scholar who died in 1995 at the age of 84. All proceeds from the entrance fee of 50 baht, sales of refreshments and books written by M.R. Kukrit are donated to the Kukrit 80 Foundation under the patronage of H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn for the promotion of Thai cultural heritage.
M.R. Kukrit’s home is on a two acre piece of land that is supposed to represent a manifestation of the owner’s background and complex personality. As it sands now, the living quarters are composed of 5 separate small one-room teak houses on elevated poles, connected by open verandas, with a ground floor that is open all on sides in the usual Thai house style. There is also a large hall for public functions a little distance way from the living quarters with a walled in garden connecting the two parts and creating the impression of one whole house.
All the buildings are authentic traditional Thai houses from the central plains of Thailand, some of which are over 100 years old. The owner brought the small houses from different places, at different times, having them dismantled, transported to their present site and reassembled in the traditional techniques of Thai architecture. The first house was acquired in 1960 and it took over 20 years to complete all of the buildings to bring them to the perfection that is apparent today.
As I walked down the driveway a lovely young lady approached a wooden desk that was the entrance booth gave me a very wide smile and pleasant welcome in impeccable English. When she explained that the entrance fee was 50 baht, explained that I did not have 50 baht on me and I would return next weekend, (with Sheila in tow I hope).
I wandered home arriving at about 1530 soaking wet from the heat and humidity, fixed myself a late lunch and brought this journal up-to-date while I waited for the rest of the household to get home.
Rosalind and Sheila were pleased to hear that I had rented ‘The Constant Gardner’ and ‘Brokeback mountain’, but Adam was not impressed with perhaps having to watch ‘Bareback Mountain with the girls.